What is TCC?

It was in April 2009 when I first heard of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (T:TSCC). I don't have a TV, so I usually sample a series by downloading a pilot or a first episode, to see if it is worth the bucks. I usually get good shows after some time passes, eventually. In this case, though, there was another compelling reason to get the whole 2 season set, without a delay.

I liked what I saw. The series expanded the dimensionality of characters from their usual rendering in action flicks, where they are somewhat lacking and the character development is rather a cursory after effect, trimmed to absolute necessities to buttress the story, if that. The terminator theme was OK, in my view -- especially T1 -- but it was not on the top of my list of most favored sci-fi. It was a pleasant surprise that the series left Flatland for the most part.

But the most compelling reason, you can probably guess, was Summer Glau. I am a big fan of Firefly/Serenity, and for me, T:TSCC was as close as one can get to have a smidget of continuity. You may object that River and Cameron characters have almost nothing in common. But I could see hints of River in Cameron, and in violation of causality I could also discern traces of Cameron in River. Of course, the common denominator here if the story of Summer Glau. Summer as Glue? Yes, the stories reside in their own space, but they meet at some odd place, where they transcend their boundaries. Summer has that mojo.

I got the set and watched it in a marathon session over a weekend. I am not prone to addictive behavior, but had to make an exception (following the Firefly pattern, the same story). I was disappointed that the story ended after season two. I scanned net for hints of any glimmer of hope that the FOX execs changed their minds. But all I could find was that, indeed, that is it, the end, with a major cliffhanger wound that would never quite heal.

I had a Glau craving again in November 2009 and spent a marathon weekend watching the 2 seasons. And once again, I hit the searches, in hopes to find a remote chance that someones with a clout did change their minds and that the story will be revived. Nothing. T:TSCC was still dead. Six feet under. Just one of these good things that end and shouldn't, at least not when they have some quality or a potential.

While searching, I found a site where someone expressed a disappointment about T:TSCC end. I was not alone! But I found much more. The story did not die! It was alive in The Connor Wars:

The television series, Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles, ended on a note of such creative possibilities that I was compelled to continue the saga. Using the writing form I’m familiar and comfortable with, I’ve written a 22-episode season 3 of full-length hour-long scripts, and have followed that with a short 4th season made up of 5 hour-long episodes plus a 2-hour+ screenplay finale to conclude the series.

-CJ Carter

It was as close to TV series as one can get -- written in TV scripts format by CJ Carter. I went through all the episodes in no time during December 2009. It was a tasty treat after all that disappointment. It was good. It was very good!

The readers played a guessing game to anticipate the next episodes and I joined. I posted some snippets in the site's forum, fanfic of a fanfic, as it were. At the time, in January 2010, CJ planned to end the season 3 and then write one 2 hour screenplay as a final episode. CJ was uncertain how to do it, without creating a large discontinuity and though he knew how the story ends, it was a tall order to get there. I offered my help to participate in creating several episodes in between. My task was to bring ideas to the table that would plausibly bridge the end of season three and the finale movie screenplay. I think that the result was a success.

Yes, I know, you still wonder what about the question in the title of this article. TCC stands for The Connors Chronicles. The war is over, but that does not mean the end of the story. It wants out, forces itself from subconscious chambers of a hapless individual that is unable to resist the need to tell it. The story won't release its hold on me until 2 seasons worth are told.

Most of readers will be coming from CJ's site. But if you just happen by, curious about the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles status, please make sure that you get your fix first at CJ's. I promise, you'll be as hooked as I was.

Terminator – The Connor Wars: Fanfic Project (TSCC Season 3 & 4) (link also on the left sidebar for your convenience)

Lumir G Janku